Karakura Fairytale
by ClusterChu
Summary: It all started when Ichigo lost a bet and had to confirm a story about a girl on the west side of town. During their encounter, Ichigo suspects she's hiding something...no, a lot of things. And the story may actually be hinting at a lot more. Some IchiHime and Renji/Rukia in later chapters.


Unopened Door

There was a warning given by many elders of Karakura Town not to go the west side of town. Many people would ask why and the elders responded with a story. It went a lot like this:

_There was a girl, born into a normal life until the age of eight, when she found out that her siblings had unhuman abilities. Scared of their inhuman abilities, she ran away from home, trying to get as far away as possible. Though, the news spread across the town like wildfire and no matter where she went, people were afraid of her._

_One day, she met this kind but mysterious man who took her in. There, she found out that she too had strange abilities. At the same time, she found out her siblings died of different causes. Not wanting to die yet herself, she found a way to increase her lifespan but at the same time, it decreases her lifespan. Weird, isn't it?_

_It's said that she's been living for at least 100 years, but she looks like she's 25. But the real reason people stay away from her is her inhuman strength. Plus, she's the most inhuman human that I've ever met. Or is she human? Who knows, but just stay away from her, okay child? She's got enough strength to break most of your bones in a few hits!_

* * *

And here he was, trying to find this woman. Why was he here? Because he lost a bet to Uryu and now, he have to see if this fairytale is true. Ichigo doubt its true, it sounds like too farfetched to be true._ 'Hell, I don't even know how she looks or what her name is! How the hell does Ishida expect me to find her when all I know about her is the stupid fairytale!?', _Ichigo thought.

It was late in the evening and the sun was about to go down. He wasn't even sure if he was in the right place. It looked like a suburban area, but the place had a desolate feel to it. Maybe it was that story the elders told him that got to his head. Or maybe everyone really does stay away from her and the houses are empty.

"Hello mister. Are you looking for something?", someone asked from a considerable distance. "I haven't seen you around these parts."

"Yeah, I actually am. Have you heard of the fairytale about the inhuman woman who lives here?", Ichigo asked, not even sure who he replied back to.

"Oh, I hear of it plenty of times.", she said joyfully. "I know who you're talking about. She has shoulder-length, red hair, pale skin and light grey eyes. The first thing you notice her is that she's taller than you and has a gleaming smile on her face."

He nodded, taking everything into account. Wow, she just gave me the information without asking me any questions. Though, I'm pretty sure she's heard of the same question plenty of times. "Thanks...", he turned around in the middle of his thank you, but then his voice trailed off not because Ichigo didn't know her name, but because of something else.

She was at least a few inches above his height, that's for sure. She had the shoulder-length dark red hair and the grey eyes. The woman had a huge smile plastered on her face. Just like how she described it, that's how she looked. "Sekigawa Mina."

_'No wonder she gave me the information just like that. Damn, she just tricked me into a situation.'_ Though, he wondered if all that stuff is true. She looked too happy to be suffering all her life."You're the...woman. Aren't you?"

"Being careful, aren't we? I like how you didn't run at first sight.", she said, now coming towards him. She continued to maintain that smile...god, that really reminded him of his fight with Ichimaru Gin."...Kurosaki Ichigo."

"How do you know my name?", Ichigo asked, taking a step back. He really didn't want to use my new Shinigami powers, if she turned out to be a regular human. So far, what they described in the story and the real thing seemed to be miles apart.

She tilted her head in confusion. "I always hear about a boy named Kurosaki Ichigo with orange hair. I always hear that he's a great opponent. So I waited in hopes that one day, you'll come here. And here you are!"

"So, you want to challenge me?", he asked, unsure of what she wanted.

"I would love to! But only if you want.", she replied. The way the elders told the story, it sounded like she attacks on sight. But then she's letting him go. At least, that's what Ichigo thought until she smirked. "By the look on your face, I can tell you actually believed me. Did you ever thought that I would just let you go, knowing you may as well be one of the strongest in Karakura Town?"

Not that he was going to leave in the first place, not without getting evidence for Uryu that he found her and confirmed the story. "Alright. I came here because I lost a bet with a friend and he wanted to know if you really exist. So if I win, you're coming with me."

"I got a similar question from someone before. The battle ended in my first draw.", she said, going slightly off-topic for a moment. She shook her head and continued. "Anyways, if I win, you can be my punching bag for a week." She cracked her knuckles and said, "It's been a while since someone's challenged me. The last time someone challenged me was a long time ago. And my challengers weren't even from Karakura Town."

He got out of his human body and into his Shinigami form. Ichigo readied my zanpakuto as he said to himself, "Let's get this over with."

She winked at him mischievously and said, "Your move."


End file.
